Restoring traditional culture of Co ethnic people

Restoring the Cheo dance festival. Photo by VAN PHIN — Restoring the Cheo dance festival. Photo: VAN PHIN

Tam My commune has about 325 Co ethnic households with 1,227 people, living in the villages of Phu Tu, Phu Tan and Phu Tho .

Mr. Chau Cao Cuong, an expert of the Department of Culture and Society of Tam My commune, said that in the field of preserving and developing tangible cultural values, the locality has built a village cultural house with a traditional model, 3 stilt houses of the Co ethnic group, creating a place for people to have fun, entertain and organize cultural and artistic activities.

The locality also organized the collection of daily life tools and musical instruments of the Co ethnic group such as cymbals and drums; established two gong artisan teams in the villages of Phu Tan and Phu Tu. Collected and restored folk art forms such as Cheo dance, Cau Bong, Tet Nga Ra, New Rice Celebration, folk tales and traditional folk music , and provided financial support for purchasing gong dance instruments...

According to Mr. Nguyen Van Dang, Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Tam My commune, besides the achieved results, the work of preserving and promoting the cultural values of the Co ethnic group in the locality still faces many difficulties.

Offering rice straw on Tet holiday. Photo by VAN PHIN — Offering rice straw on Tet holiday. Photo: VAN PHIN

Some traditional cultural forms of ethnic minorities tend to disappear and are mixed with the cultures of other ethnic groups. Traditional costumes are often only used by people during holidays and festivals. Ancient gong sets among the people are gradually disappearing.

Gong dances are not widely popular in the community but mainly focus on the elderly. Besides, traditional festivals such as cheo dance, straw-laying festival, new rice celebration... are not organized regularly. The young generation shows signs of forgetting their mother tongue and traditional costumes. Currently, most of the artisans who understand the traditional culture of the Co ethnic group are old, weak or have passed away, so the work of passing on experience and skills to the younger generation faces many difficulties...

To preserve and promote the traditional cultural values of the Co ethnic group, previously, the People's Committee of Tam Tra commune (old) had a draft project for the period 2020 - 2025, oriented to 2030 with many specific goals and solutions.

Cheo dance of the Co people. Photo: VAN PHIN

Including the construction of new traditional village houses in residential communities. Each village with Co ethnic people established and maintained at least 1 traditional art troupe such as gong troupe, cheo dance...; developed at least 2 typical local products such as upland rice, dried bamboo shoots, dried wild bananas, and cau ginseng...

There is at least one group of traditional crafts of the Co people such as bamboo and rattan weaving, weaving... that is supported to be restored. Every year, activities such as gong competitions, cheo dancing, rain-praying rituals, pole-raising rituals and straw-laying festivals are organized; 15% or more of the Co people use traditional brocade costumes on festivals, holidays and Tet.

Currently, implementing the 2-level local government model, Tam My commune is in dire need of support from the cultural sector to preserve and promote the traditional cultural values of the Co ethnic group.

Along with that, Tam My commune strengthens propaganda work to raise awareness of cadres and people in preserving and promoting traditional cultural values of ethnic minorities. Arousing pride in the traditional cultural heritage of ethnic minorities so that people can be proactive in activities to preserve and promote the traditional cultural heritage of the Co ethnic group in the area.

Source: https://baodanang.vn/phuc-hoi-van-hoa-truyen-thong-dong-bao-dan-toc-co-3305106.html